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The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People – as they apply to career development
June 2, 2010
It’s been about 20 years since I first read Stephen Covey’s book, “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People” – and I’d forgotten how much I enjoyed it. I was with a group of friends recently and someone mentioned a topic from the book. That piqued my interest again and I pulled his book off my bookshelf, only to find it dusty and the pages yellowed with age (I purchased it in 1990). But as I re-read the book, I was amazed at how the advice still rings true today.
Here are the 7 Habits according to Mr. Covey, with my own comments about each habit as they relate to career development:
- Be Proactive: Let’s face it; sitting on your butt doing nothing will get you no where. To be successful in your career, you have to be proactive in determining what you want to achieve and then figuring out the game plan of how you’re going to get there.
- Begin with the End in Mind: If you want to eventually become a, say, Vice President of Marketing then the first thing you need to do is find out what knowledge, skills, and experience are needed. Once you have that information you can compare it to your current knowledge, skills, and experience and determine the gaps. Once you know the gaps you can figure out how to gain the knowledge, skills, and experience you still need in order to be qualified for the position. So always begin with the end in mind and determine the steps you then need to take to get there.
- Put First Things First: Every day, make a quick list of the most important things you need to accomplish at work. I like to call this my “blue chip” list because these are the items that I prioritize with the highest need. This will force you to focus on completing the most important actions first and you’ll start to realize that some things are so trivial, they can be put aside or maybe even forgotten for good.
- Think Win/Win: I’ve always found it amazing that when I took the approach of thinking in terms of win/win, a better or more creative solution was usually found. As Stephen Covey states in his book, “Win/Win is a belief in the Third Alternative. It’s not your way or my way; it’s a better way, a higher way.”
- Seek First to Understand, Then to Be Understood: This habit is especially important for managers. Before a manager responds to a situation in their department, they must first seek to understand all angles of the situation. Once that has occurred, they can determine the best possible solution – but that can take place only after they’ve taken the time to understand the situation.
- Synergize: You’ve probably heard that old saying that “the sum is greater than the parts”. When I think of Mr. Covey’s “synergy” habit that saying is always the first thing that comes to mind. In business, it’s important to choose teams that are diverse and who will work well together. Different backgrounds and experiences breed different and often very creative ideas when people work together – and difference and creativity is what’s often needed in today’s competitive world.
- Sharpen the Saw: I love the last habit and the example Mr. Covey uses in his book about the person who’s been trying to saw down a tree for five hours and getting no where. Another person asks why he doesn’t stop sawing and sharpen his saw and then go back to sawing. The response is that he doesn’t have time to stop and sharpen his saw because he’s too busy sawing. The same thing applies to our careers. If you want to move into higher positions or into a different position entirely, then it’s important you take the time to improve your knowledge and skills in the areas necessary.
If you haven’t already read the book or haven’t read it in a few years, I highly recommend you read it again and think about how you can apply the topics to improve your own career. The advice is right on target!
~ Lisa Quast
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